The present invention relates generally to computer display systems, and more specifically, to a technique for interactively displaying a two-dimensional window in three dimensions on a display screen of the computer system to thereby enhance simultaneous presentation and monitoring of multiple windows.
The usefulness of computer systems is directly related to a user""s ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with the computer system. Central to this ability to communicate is the need to have a comprehensive display of images available to the user of work objects being operated upon in an interactive manner.
One approach at accomplishing this goal calls for overlapping segmented areas (herein xe2x80x9cwindowsxe2x80x9d) of a display screen in much the same way as piling a stack of books on a desk. In this approach, the most recently used or xe2x80x9cactivexe2x80x9d window appears on top (so that its view is not obscured by other windows) and the least recently used window appears on the bottom (such that its view is partially or fully obscured). A user is unable, using the known approaches, to use direct manipulation techniques to change the display images. For example, a user wishing to replace the current view (e.g., switch from an iconic view of a list to a textual view) of an object must either replace the current view or open a new window to a new view using multiple combinations of keyboard strokes or mouse manipulations in conjunction with menu bars.
Today""s computing environments involving a human/computer interface center on the graphical user interface (GUI) style system described above. GUI systems all share a certain set of general characteristics. They all contain windows for the display of data and they all contain a keyboard and a pointing device for input. The keyboard and pointing device, usually a mouse, are used to enter data and to navigate about a GUI presentation screen. The GUI presentation screen contains multiple windows which the user can manipulate.
Common to all GUI systems is the underlying event-driven software structure. With the advent of GUI systems has come the proliferation of event-driven software tool kits and libraries. These tool kits and libraries provide a standard set of interfaces which programmers program to. Once applications are built on these GUI interfaces, all applications running with the same set of application programming interfaces (APIs) look and feel the same. For example, all International Business Machines"" OS/2 Presentation Manager applications look and feel similar because all OS/2 programmers program to the Presentation Manager interfaces.
Window display systems allow more data to be displayed on the screen simultaneously compared with older single screen programs. This is because multiple windows can be opened at the same time and each window represents an application or a part of an open application. Unfortunately, a computer screen can become cluttered with too many open and overlapping windows. Consequently, what is needed is a technique for displaying multiple two-dimensional windows in distinct areas of the display screen, such that the multiple windows can be viewed at the same time and thereby allow a user to individually monitor and directly operate within the different windows. The present invention is directed to meeting this need.
Briefly summarized, the invention comprises in one aspect a method for displaying a window in a two-dimensional display screen. The method includes: providing at least one two-dimensional window for display in the two-dimensional display screen; and responsive to user input, displaying the at least one two-dimensional window in three dimensions within the display screen.
In another aspect, a computer display system is provided which includes a two-dimensional display screen for displaying one or more windows and a window manager overseeing display of the one or more windows within the display screen. The window manager is programed to display the at least one two-dimensional window in three dimensions within the two-dimensional display screen responsive to user input.
In a further aspect, a system for displaying a window in a two-dimensional display screen is provided. This system includes means for providing at least one two-dimensional window for display in the two-dimensional display screen, and means for allowing a user to designate the at least one two-dimensional window for display as a three-dimensional window within the display screen.
In a still further aspect, the invention comprises an article of manufacture which includes a computer program product comprising computer usable medium having computer readable program code means therein for use in displaying a window in a two-dimensional display screen. The computer readable program code means in the computer program product includes: computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect providing at least one two-dimensional window for display in the two-dimensional display screen; and computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect allowing a user to designate the at least one two-dimensional window for display as a three-dimensional window within the two-dimensional display screen.
To restate, this invention provides a technique for expanding the amount of data displayed on a computer monitor without changing the physical monitor size, thereby allowing a computer user to view and monitor more data than with a standard two-dimensional window display system employing an overlapping of windows. Presented herein is a technique to improve the quantity of information displayed on the computer screen without degrading the quality of the information displayed.
Conventionally, window display systems such as IBM""s OS/2 Presentation Manager, the AIX/UNIX X-Window System, and other windowing display systems, display information two-dimensionally, with a more recently opened window overlying a previously opened window. Within these systems, windows have what is called a xe2x80x9cZ order,xe2x80x9d but this is just the order in which the windows are stacked one upon the other.
Humans are accustomed to viewing information in three-dimensions. This means that the human mind can view images that are not perpendicular to the line of sight and still effectively process information. In fact, humans depend a great deal on peripheral information which accounts for much of the information we process. This invention describes a method/system for harnessing the human ability to view non-perpendicular data and mentally process the information effectively. The minds ability to fill in details based on a gross set of details lets humans process data that is not presented in an ideal perpendicular format. Described herein is a technique for displaying and manipulating three dimensionally (3D) projected data in a window display system. Advantageously, the technique presented does not require change to any existing application program. All modifications needed to display the window in 3D format may be implemented in the window display libraries and operating system, i.e., within the window manager.